Silence of the Angels
by Northridge
Summary: Agent Shinji Ikari races against time to stop a deadly serial killer, but he still has to deal with Dr. Asuka Sohryu. Crossover with Silence of the Lambs. DISCONTINUED.
1. Setting the Stage

*************************************************************

Disclaimer:  I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, nor do I own Silence of the Lambs.  They are the properties of Gainax Studios and Thomas Harris respectively.

*************************************************************

Author's Notes:  I've gone and rewritten chapters 1-5 of this story.  When I looked back on the story, I felt it needed some editing; and since I'm the author, I did it.  The edits are just little things here and there and some grammatical changes; so enjoy the story.

*************************************************************

**SILENCE OF THE ANGELS**

**By Northridge**

***Chapter One***

  
SETTING THE STAGE

*************************************************************

FBI trainee Shinji Ikari gradually followed the orderly through the inner depths of the insane asylum.

The hallways were sterile white at first; but as they proceeded deeper into the dark institution, faded bricks began to replace those clean walls.  The people around the two were more alert compared to the people in the outer areas, where the patients had only mild cases of mental illness.

He was being escorted to their worst "patient."

Shinji could not help but sweat slightly before arriving at their destination, which holds one of the most dangerous people locked away from society.  The inexperienced trainee took his handkerchief out from his coat pocket to dab at the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead.  His folder of papers was threatening to slip from his shaking hand and his mouth was dry from swallowing continuously.

Shinji could only recall the events which led up to this point.

*************************************************************

_The other day..._

_Woods near __Quantico__, __Virginia__..._

"I can't give up…I can't give up…can't give up" Shinji wheezed while dashing erratically through the woods.

But he was almost out of breath.

Shinji Ikari was grasping for air while running through the crisp Virginian morning.  While the sun peaked through the cloudy grey sky, his head was soaked with sweat; his UVA T-shirt loosely hugged his equally sweat-soaked body.  His running shoes were pressed with dirt and coming undone due to constant use.  The air was moist from the light rain that herald in the night before.

For the past two hours, he pushed himself through a gauntlet of torture.  Scaling splintered walls, climbing ropes till his hands blistered, and jogging long miles were beginning to take their toll on the persistent trainee.  His twenty-five year-old body hardly had any muscles, which didn't help much with his current exercise routine; but he continued on nevertheless.

Though his body was small, he made it up with his agility.  Shinji rated fairly well when it came to hand-to-hand combat and sharp-shooting.  Though his body was thin, he made it up with his looks.  His face was masculine, but not too rough.  If not for a meticulous shave every morning he could have passed for his father; too much like his father for his taste.

At the moment, Shinji was the object of attention of a young man leaning against a tree up the road.  He decided to end his morning routine to see what he needed, and because he simply could not push himself any further.  He quickly ended his jog to rest his hands against his knees.  Taking a few deep breaths, with coughs in between, he gently collapsed himself into a sitting position on the grassy ground.

Shinji addressed his companion when he caught his breath.

"Hey Kensuke, how's it going?" he asked weakly.

"Shinji you really need to stop doing this to yourself.  You're going to ruin that pretty face of yours, and you know how the ladies feel about that," he said with a joking smirk.

Shinji flushed at that last comment and went into a coughing frenzy.

His fellow roommate at the FBI training academy, Aida Kensuke, quickly tossed him a bottle of water which Shinji quickly uncapped and drank.

After a few more moments rest, he asked him what his friend was there for.

"Shinji, I'm simply being a friend and looking out for you" Kensuke said with an over-exaggerated frown.

Shinji knew that was a lie.  Kensuke hardly ever accompanied him on his morning excursions.

"And…?" pressed Shinji.

"…and the director wants to see you" Kensuke added hastily with a smile.

"Wha, WHAT!?!" Shinji spurted out, dropping the water bottle into his lap.

_'SHIT!' thought Shinji._

"What did I do?  Why would he need to see me?" he stuttered while getting up to wring out the water from his running shorts.

Kensuke chuckled softly.  He took his glasses and cleaned it with a tissue from his pocket.

"I have no idea.  But you better hurry and get yourself cleaned up before meeting him.  You know how he hates to be kept waiting."

But Shinji had already run off.

*************************************************************

_In the Behavioral Science Wing.......___

Director Kozo Fuyutsuki did not like waiting.

He sat in his office in the Behavioral Science section of the FBI waiting patiently for the young trainee to arrive.  Fuyutsuki decided to look again over various case files surrounding a certain serial killer yet to be caught.  Graphic photos of the victims and newspaper clippings adorned a wall.  After a few minutes, he could not take in the information any longer.  Though his department was only advisory in the FBI, he personally had been instrumental in stopping no less than three serial killers from continuing their sprees.  Fuyutsuki took his job seriously and he wanted to continue doing his job to the best of his ability; but retirement was lurking around the corner for him.  Fuyutsuki wanted to end his career with this case solved.  But the strain was becoming too much for him; so his thoughts went back to Shinji Ikari.

Fuyutsuki knew that Shinji exercised daily in the morning so he thought he should cut him some slack.  He also knew Shinji from the time the trainee was a child back when he lived in Washington, D.C.  Fuyutsuki was impressed with how the young man rose to the top quarter of his class, despite his personal problems.

_'Shinji, why must this rift between your father and yourself continue?' he thought, but Fuyutsuki knew too well why._

He was startled out of his thoughts when Shinji busted through the doors still in his running attire.

He also noticed Shinji's soaked shorts.

"Agent Ikari," he stated humorously, "you weren't _too scared to see me were you?"_

"What sir?"

Fuyutsuki pointed to Shinji's shorts.

"Oh, I had a mishap with a water bottle sir!  Sorry" he replied sheepishly.

Fuyutsuki wondered whether this was true or not given what he knew of Shinji's nature, but he decided to give the young trainee the benefit of the doubt.

"Anyways, let's talk about why I called you here.  Have a seat."

Shinji carefully seated himself into the chair, careful not to soak the leather cushion.

"A field assignment came up and I thought of you."

Fuyutsuki took some papers out of a folder.

"An assignment sir?" Shinji asked curiously.  Very rarely were trainees given field assignments.

"More of an errand actually; it should give you some hands-on experience before you graduate.  Behavioral Science is compiling data on all the serial killers we have in custody.  We're trying to form a psycho-behavioral profile.  It could be very useful in the future.  Most of them were willing to cooperate with us; except for the one we want the most.  I was hoping you could go down to the Baltimore asylum to question _her."_

"Her?" Shinji didn't know of many female serial killers…except for one.

"Dr. Asuka Langley Sohryu" Fuyutsuki replied.

He placed the papers in front of Shinji; a mug shot of HER was clipped to them.  Silence permeated the room for what _felt like several minutes to Shinji._

"Black Widow Asuka." Shinji whispered in reply.

"The one and the same" Fuyutsuki confirmed.

"Sir" Shinji looked for the right words to say, but failed.  "Why me?  Shouldn't someone with more experience question Dr. Sohryu…given her character?"

Fuyutsuki gave his prepared reply.

"That's true.  However, due to a shortage of experienced manpower for our other investigations, we need to utilize all our resources, regardless of inexperience."

"Yes sir."

"Shinji…" Fuyutsuki switched to his first name.  "I don't expect her to cooperate with us.  She just insults all the other people we sent to interview her.  But given how the public criticizes our every move lately I have to be able to say we tried.  So just give her our questionnaire.  If she refuses to cooperate report any details about her and her behavior and leave."

But that didn't do much to soothe Shinji's mind.

"Here is a dossier on Dr. Sohryu, a copy of the questionnaire, and a special ID."

Shinji nodded and took them.

Fuyutsuki decided to ask now.

"Shinji…have you talked to your father lately?"

At this question Shinji could not help but feel a surge of anger and sadness rise deep within his heart; beginning to tear at his very sanity again; but he kept it in check.

"No, sir" he replied calmly and looking down and paused.  "We haven't talked in a long time."

Fuyutsuki could only nod.  He regretted asking the young man that particular question.

"How's your sister?"

At this question however, Shinji's mood brightened.  He smiled and looked up.

"She's doing great.  Last I heard from Rei, she seems to enjoy going to Penn State.  She still insists on being a vegetarian."

Fuyutsuki smiled too and laughed wholeheartedly.

"Give her my regards…and good luck on your assignment.  Have your memo on my desk by 0800 Wednesday."

"Yes sir."

*************************************************************

In the showers, Shinji slowly went about cleaning the morning sweat and grime off his body.  He went about rinsing the shampoo from his dark hair and proceeded to do the same for the rest of his body.

While Shinji was showering, his mind drifted off into the void of his subconscious.  Bits and pieces of his past came up in his mind.  HIS FATHER, his sister**…his mother.  But one particular memory kept coming back to him again and again was that of a young girl he briefly met when he was a child.  He quickly shoved the memory away and started to get ready for his trip tomorrow.**

But some things do not easily go away for him.

*************************************************************

"Shinji!  Man I heard what happened!"

"Yeah Kensuke what did you hear?"

The two friends were talking while walking back to their room; or rather, Shinji was walking and Kensuke was jumping and screaming ecstatically like a girl. 

"I heard Fuyutsuki gave you a field assignment!"

The brooding trainee didn't share his roommate's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, lucky me."  Shinji felt extremely sarcastic at the moment.

"Dammit Shinji!  You're lucky!  Not many trainees get to go on one of these things.  What's the assignment?  Can you tell me?"

"Oh, I'm just going to question a serial killer that's all."

His friend could not believe his ears.

"FUCK DUDE, you are so lucky!  Who is it?  Manson?  Bundy?"

"Ted Bundy's already executed."

"Whatever.  But who is it?"

Shinji knew his answer would probably kill his friend's envy.

"Dr. Asuka Langley Sohryu" Shinji stated in a mocking manner.

Kensuke turned visibly pale at that moment.

"On second thought never mind.  You aren't lucky at all."

"Thanks for your support" Shinji replied sarcastically.

"I'm just telling you the truth."

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

*************************************************************

_The next day...   _

"Are you sure you can handle her?"

Shinji sat in the plush office of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi at the Baltimore State Forensic Hospital.  The blond woman sat behind her desk and was filling out some paperwork.  He noticed that she asked him with a lecherous look in her eyes.  Shinji knew that look from the many inviting stares he got from the opposite sex in his life; though he never acted upon the invitations; but this look creeped him out.

'_She has got to be at least twice my age.' he thought uneasily._

"Dr. Akagi my orders are to give her a questionnaire." Shinji answered with false determination.

"If you say so" she replied.  "However, she has been here for four years, and all she ever does is piss me and everyone else off.  It's sad how a brilliant mind like hers can be so sick and evil at such a young age."

"Still Dr. Akagi, I would like to see her at the earliest possible convenience."

"Very well" she said while getting up from behind her desk.  "Come this way, Mr. Ryouji will show you the rest of the way; we have her locked up in a nice cozy place, since all she ever does is scare all our other residents and staff" Dr. Akagi remarked dryly.

As Shinji got up he decided to ask for advice in dealing with Dr. Sohryu.

"Dr. Akagi is there any other information that can be useful in interviewing her."

She chuckled lightly.

"Agent Ikari, she is basically a monster and bitch combined.  If you're lucky, Sohryu will just ignore you.  Good luck."

As she led him out of her office, Shinji said his mantra over and over again in his mind.

_'I mustn't run away.  I mustn't run away.'_

"Agent Ikari, are you doing anything afterwards?  Baltimore can be a really fun place…with the right company" she asked seductively.

_'Oh fuck it.'_

*************************************************************

The orderly, Mr. Kaji Ryouji, was not a bad man.  Considering the nature of the place he worked in, Kaji still gave off an aura of ease and calmness.  His ponytail and stubbled faced gave him an unprofessional presence; yet, one would not question his air of authority.  Where any other person with his job would probably go nuts, he smiles and goes about his duties.  He led Shinji through several security checkpoints and to their final destination, which so happened to be a huge metal door.  Shinji turned to face Kaji in the murky light to see not his usual jovial face, but a stern and unreadable one.

"Mr. Ikari, Dr. Sohryu's cell is at the end of the hall past all the other patients.  Do not approach the barrier between you two, nor any of the others.  Pass only soft paper through the grate.  _No pencils or pens.  I placed a chair in front of her cell for you."_

Kaji then paused for a second.  "Are you sure you can handle her?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Shinji replied guardedly.

But Shinji really didn't want to know.

Kaji looked at him quietly.

"Let me put it this way; while faking a seizure, Dr. Sohryu tore off the nose of a doctor with her teeth.  Many people that come to interview her, mostly psychiatrist, journalist, and detectives come out crying or pissed.  She's killed at least twenty people…that we know of.  So in other words, don't let her get to you, literally and figuratively."

Shinji gulped.

"How do you deal with her, Mr. Ryouji?"

He smiled weakly in reply.

"I don't know why, but she likes me.  Hell, I don't know whether that's good or not."

"Right."  Shinji was quickly loosing his confidence.

"Good luck, I'll be right outside if you need me."

Shinji slowly nodded and walked through the rusted door.  He stood there for a minute after hearing the door loudly shutting behind him.  The hall extended for at least sixty feet, towards a rusty metal folding-chair, that stood in front of the farthest cell.  The only illumination came from the line of bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.  The air was smelly from the feces that permeated from one of the barred cells.  Shinji took a last dab with his handkerchief to absorb his sweat, adjusted his folder in his hand, and cautiously walked down the hall.

As each of his steps echoed throughout the hallway, the "patients" eyed him disturbingly.  One fat bald guy gave him a toothy grin and a "hi," another guy sat mindlessly staring straight ahead; however the last guy was very enthusiastic to see Shinji:

"I CAN SMELL YOUR COCK!" the man hissed through the bars.  He had his hands moving in his pants.

_'Note to self: Stay the fuck away from that one!' Shinji thought to himself._

When he got to Dr. Sohryu's cell, he noticed that instead of metal bars, there was a three-inch glass barrier with air holes lining the top and bottom.  There were several sketches on the right wall.  A metal toilet sat the corner with a paper screen moved to the side.

Dr. Asuka Langley Sohryu sat on the cot, which hugged the left wall.  She had her right arm resting on a knee dragged up to her chest.  Her other arm was detailing a drawing on boarded butcher paper, which rested on her other leg.

She wore the standard dull gray jumpsuit that the other people wore.  Except in this case, she was fastidiously clean about wearing it.  Her skin was healthy and wrinkle-free despite a lack of sunlight to the cell.  Her long red hair hung unbraided, but that only brought out more of her deadly beauty.

It gave her the unnatural appearance of a ravenous spider.

'Just like her nickname' Shinji thought with strained amusement.

But her eyes, her eyes, got most of his attention.  When Dr. Sohryu looked up from her detailed work, she stared at him.  They were a pure light blue that engulfed his senses.  She was beautiful…for a serial killer.

She looked at him for what seem to be an eternity…and then smiled mischievously.  She said only one word to greet him.

"Hello."

*************************************************************

TO BE CONTINUED…

*************************************************************

Please read and review.

-Northridge


	2. First Meeting

*************************************************************

Disclaimer:  I do not own 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' nor do I own 'Silence of the Lambs.'  They belong to Gainax Studios and Thomas Harris, respectively.

*************************************************************

Author's Notes:   Enjoy the story.

*************************************************************

SILENCE OF THE ANGELS

By Northridge

***Chapter Two***

FIRST MEETING

*************************************************************

"Hello" Dr. Sohryu said mischievously.

She gave him a cute smile.

_'God, does she sound sexy!'  He thought in quick appraisal; but Shinji knew he had to display a professional personality; especially to this one._

He started talking in a calm manner.

"Good morning Dr. Sohryu, my name is Shinji Ikari of the FBI.  May I speak with you?"

She tilted her head slightly; never once letting the cute smile disappear from her face.  There was silence between the two for a few seconds; then she finally answered with a question.

"Old Kozzie sent you, hmm?"

Shinji really hated it when people answered with questions; but he nevertheless played along.

"If you are talking about Director Fuyutsuki, yes he did."

This really got her attention.  Her cute smile brightened even further.

"He's an FBI director now?  A lot has changed!"

Her cute smile then suddenly disappeared from her face.  It was replaced with a look of exaggerated sadness.

"I try to keep in touch with old friends, but for some reason they don't reply to my letters" Dr. Sohryu pouted.

She studied him for a second, as if trying to find the best way to snap his neck.  However, Shinji was not about to lose his cool.  He stood there, trying his best to imitate his father's cold personality; but she didn't buy it.

Dr. Sohryu smiled faintly, then placed the sketching board on the bunk and stood up.  She gracefully walked up to a foot behind the glass barrier and remained there.  Dr. Sohryu had her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Show me your credentials."

It was a demand and not a request.

Shinji carefully removed his wallet and flipped it open to show the special ID that director Fuyutsuki gave him.

"Closer" she sneered.

He was a good five feet from the barrier, so Shinji took two solid steps forward.

"Closer idiot!  I can't exactly bite you." she enunciated sharply.

"Sorry."

So Shinji closed the gap until he was right up to the glass.

He nearly jumped back when she stepped closer.

Her arms were still crossed, but she wasn't looking at his ID; instead she was staring right at him.

_'Damn, that was just an excuse to study me better' Shinji thought apprehensively._

After a minute, a long minute, she darted her eyes down towards his ID and quickly back to his face.

"That ID expires in one week.  You aren't really an FBI agent, are you?"  She sounded disappointed.

Shinji felt a little embarrassed at her assessment of him.

"That right, Dr. Sohryu" Shinji replied.  "I'm still in training at the academy."

This seemed to enflame her into a quiet rage.

"Old Kozzie sent a trainee to interview me?  **A trainee?!?"  Her eyes narrowed sharply.**

"I'm sorry I'm not living up to your expectations thus far, but I'm just doing what I'm told."  Shinji steadily responded.

"I'm sure you always do what you're told."

She cocked an eye in interest.

"Sit down" she ordered.

_'She isn't one to ask nicely.' Shinji thought as he gently sat down on the rusty chair and placed his folder in his lap; he interlaced his fingers on top of it._

"You look like a good little school boy sitting there!"  She remarked comically with another smile.

"Sorry."  Shinji adjusted his posture.

Dr. Sohryu continued to smile.

"You caused quite a stir among the others.  We don't get many visitors; actually, I'm the only one who gets the few visitors that come here.  Society doesn't really care about my neighbors.  But tell me, what did my neighbor Migs say to you, Multiple Migs, to be more precise?" she asked.

Shinji was embarrassed to be asked this, but continued to answer.

"He said 'I can smell your cock.'"

She chuckled.  "I see, luckily, I cannot.  However…" she left off ominously.

Dr. Sohryu closed her eyes, and sniffed the space near the air-holes.  Shinji found himself drawn to study her while she wasn't looking.

_'She's beautiful with her eyes closed.'_

"You use Nivea shaving-cream…and…you ate a breakfast burrito right before you came here" she said while suddenly opening her eyes.  "Disgusting."

Shinji smiled honestly.

"That's right, Dr. Sohryu." Impressed and embarrassed by her detailed observations.

He decided to change the subject from himself.

"Did you do all those drawings Dr. Sohryu?"  He glanced over at the far wall.

Several sketches on butcher paper adorned the bricked wall; artistic doodles done with nothing more than charcoal.  There was a drawing of a hooded figure; a striking self-portrait; and an in-depth sketch of a lake and several buildings lining the coast.

"No, my 'roommates' gave them to me as presents.  Of course I did those drawings!" she chided him playfully.

"Sorry." He smiled self-consciously.

"All that detail from memory?" he asked, impressed by the last sketch.

"Yes.  That is one is a sketch of the Alster Lakes in Hamburg.  Have you ever been to Germany?"

"No."

She looked up in imagination.

"A pity.  It's a beautiful place, particularly in the spring.  I would love to go there again someday.  But that doesn't seem likely now."  Dr. Sohryu turned her eyes back towards Shinji.

He swallowed and got down to business.

"Dr. Sohryu…" he began as he took out several papers from his folder, "we need your help in a questionnaire and-"

"_Mein__ Gott!" she whispered harshly._

Shinji looked up to see her looking at him with a playful scorn on her face.

"I'm sorry?"

"So far you had everything right.  Establishing trust, engaging in small talk, but this sudden request won't do.  We were having so much fun."

"I'm sorry, but this questionnaire is the reason why I'm here Dr. Sohryu.  Either you will or you won't.  Your choice."

His last statements were uncharacteristic of Shinji.  He was never this decisive in conversations.

She studied him for a few seconds…and laughed.  It wasn't a hysterical laugh, but one of amusement.

"Old Kozzie must be really busy to have to send a trainee like you here!  FBI must be concentrating all their useful resources tracking down Wild Carl.  Tell me why they call him 'Wild Carl?'  I'm at a lost.  Tell me…please?"

She gave him another one of her cute smiles.

_'Looks like she's back to toying with me.' Shinji thought.  He was starting to become annoyed by her behavior._

But Shinji still answered her question.

"Well, that name came from a fictional serial killer in the movie 'The Cell.'  The particular character, _Carl Stargher, bleached his victims…just like our real-life 'Carl.'"_

"Interesting.  Was it a good movie?"

"It was okay."

She went on to another question.

"Tell me, why does he bleach his victims?  Enthrall me with your acumen."

Shinji answered.

"Well, as if copycatting the movie's killer, he bleaches them to make them…special to him.  Most serial killers like to believe they have special relationships with their victims."

"I certainly didn't" she replied distastefully.

"No, you just ate them."

Dr. Sohryu gave him a critical look.

"Pass it through now."

Shinji carefully got up and walked a short distance to the grate.  He softly laid the questionnaire in there and pushed it on through to her side of the glass barrier and stepped back to his seat.  Shinji never took his eyes off her the entire time.

But she too had her eyes on him the whole time.

Dr. Asuka Sohryu strolled on over to remove the questionnaire from the grate.  She leaned her back against the glass barrier, pressing her buttock against it in the process.  Shinji found himself taking a glance and turning his head away out of shame.  She noticed this from the corner of her eye.

She glanced through the questionnaire for no more than five seconds when…

"Oh agent Ikari, do you really think this pathetic tool can get inside my head?"

She turned around and faced him.

Shinji was caught off guard by her blunt question.

"No Dr. Sohryu.  I-"

Her eyes turned violent.

"Do you know what you look like to me, with your clean shaven face and cheap purple tie?  You look like a _nip.  A perverted little nip that takes quick little peeks, when unknowing women aren't looking.  How is it that a pathetic pervert like you made it this far?  Did your father beat you?  Touch you?  Was your mother a prostitute?  Did she go sucky-sucky on men?  Did the rich white kids make fun of you as a kid?  Those bullies after school must've left you bleeding and wishing to get back at them.  Wishing to be more than a little perverted __Jap.  Wishing to get all the way to the FBI; but you're not there yet.  You think that if you just do what you're told, you can get anywhere; that's not how the world works."_

She shook her head softly in distaste.

Even though most of what she said wasn't true, all her words still hurt him nonetheless.

"You see many possibilities, Dr. Sohryu" Shinji stated, trying hard not to show his pain and hidden anger.  "But can you examine yourself?"

Again, she gave him a critical look.

Dr. Sohryu walked over to the grate, dropped the questionnaire in it, and slammed it to Shinji's side.

He cringed.

She walked to the center.

"A man once tried to get into my pants with sweet words…" she began.

Dr. Sohryu leaned forward pressing her hands against her knees in a posture as if to talk to a child.  She narrowed her eyes and whispered softly:

"I ate his liver…and fed his cock to my dog."  She licked her lips.

Shinji crossed his legs in unconscious fear.

She turned around and walked towards her bunk.

Laughing.

"Run along little pervert.  Go back to Old Kozzie and tell him to send someone with more backbone next time."

Shinji just sat there for several seconds.  Then he slowly lifted his small frame up and walked towards the exit with the rest of his papers in his hand.  His anger was fighting to be unleashed.  He had to get out of there right away.

Unfortunately, Shinji wasn't paying attention to which side of the hallway he was walking.  It was at that moment Multiple Migs took his chance and caught Shinji's neck in a torn off piece of his prison uniform.

"I BIT MY WRIST SO I CAN DIE!" he cried.

He pulled Shinji's head roughly against the cell-bars and smeared his scent onto the young trainee's face.

He began to choke him.

"I got you!  I got you!  I GOT YOU!"

Shinji's anger got to the surface.  He became berserk with his inner rage.

With inhuman might, Shinji pulled his body weight forward, and in the process, caught Multiple Migs off guard.  The insane person's head crashed against the bars in the process.  Shinji turned around, and with wild eyes and a malicious grin, sucker-punched Mig's face.

His body fell down towards the cell's floor, with blood splattering around him.

By now, all the other cell occupants were screaming and hollering.

All except for one redhead, who looked at Shinji with extreme interest.

Kaji and two other orderlies rushed in to take control of the situation.

"Mr. Ikari, I told you to stay far away from the cells!" Kaji yelled.

He and his team unlocked Mig's cell and entered to assess the damage.

But Shinji just stood there; quietly berating himself for letting his brutal anger take control again.  He didn't want to be that way.  He started for the exit.

"Agent Ikari!  Agent Ikari!"

Shinji turned his violated face towards Dr. Sohryu's cell.  She was leaning against the barrier.  She looked at him with eyes, reassessing a young man.  Her face was different.

Interest?

Concern?

Amusement?

Shinji didn't like the possibilities.

"I would never have had that happen to you.  Such acts are unspeakably rude and wrong" she stated honestly.

That sounded funny to Shinji coming from her.

"I don't need your pity Dr. Sohryu."

"No, but you need my help.  I will give you what you crave most: Advancement."

Shinji had enough of her games.

"Good day Dr. Sohryu."

He proceeded towards the exit again.

"Just listen to what I have to say!"  She spoke with imperativeness.

He stopped and turned around towards her cell.  Shinji walked closer to hear what she had to say.

"Listen, look deep within…yourself.  Look for an old patient of mine: Miss Mofet.

M-O-F-E-T.  Mofet."

"But Dr. Soh-"

"Go."

Shinji erratically walked out.

Asuka smiled to herself.

"Oh Kaji…"

*************************************************************

Shinji was washing his face in the restroom.

He applied the hand soap all over his face, and scrubbed deeply with his hands to rid it of the pungent odor.

The image of the young girl from the past crossed his mind again.

He shoved it aside successfully this time.

*************************************************************

"Normally Agent Ikari, I would press charges for breaking the nose of one of my patients.  However, due to his deadly assault on your person and his other…behavior, I find that he brought it upon himself."

Dr. Akagi was talking to Shinji again in her plush office.

"I will see to it that he will be properly punished."

"I understand Dr. Akagi, thank you."

Shinji got up to leave for Quantico.

"If you need to talk to anyone, here's my number" Dr. Akagi suddenly offered.

She smiled lecherously at him again.

"Thank you" Shinji expressed with false gratitude.

*************************************************************

While walking to his car, images began to dance in his mind.

_Flashblack__…_

_'Shinji, not too fast!__  You'll get a stomach-ache!'_

_He looked up to see his mother's smiling face at the dinner table.  A sunny day poured from the window.  A small puppy sat near by, patiently waiting for scraps of food.  His mother's hands were gently wiping away the food on his cheeks.  His father sat nearby...smiling._

*************************************************************

TO BE CONTINUED……

*************************************************************

NOTES:  *The words 'nip' and 'jap' are derogatory terms for people of Japanese descent.

I found it really hard to synthesize Asuka's and Dr. Hannibal Lector's personalities into one.  At best, I presented a character with a rough combination of the two.  As you probably noticed, this chapter focused on the first of many meetings Shinji and Dr. Sohryu will have.  The story will follow the basic story-line of SOTL, but will branch off at certain points, to give a different flavor.

R&R

-Northridge


	3. Family Visit

*************************************************************

Disclaimer:  I do not own 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' nor do I own 'Silence of the Lambs.'  They are the sole property of Gainax Studios and Thomas Harris, respectively.

*************************************************************

Author's Notes:  Hope you enjoy it.

*************************************************************

SILENCE OF THE ANGELS

By Northridge

***Chapter Three***

FAMILY VISIT

*************************************************************

"Interesting…" Shinji whispered to himself.

After reporting back to Director Fuyutsuki, he was ordered to investigate into 'Mrs. Mofet.'  But first, Shinji decided to research more into Dr. Asuka Sohryu's dark history.  At the moment, he was looking through newspaper articles on one of the library's micro-fiche viewing machines.

It was proving to be interesting.

"Let's see…graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical at age 19…received the APA's Gold Leaf Award for excellence in psychiatric study the next year…impressive….published radical journals on the mind....redefined treatment for violent sexual crimes….damn, she's good."

He then read a few more articles on Dr. Sohryu.

"Hmm…killed a lot of people…fed victims to dinner-guests…including Michael Ronboz, of the Baltimore city council, bet that ruined his re-election….and ultimately institutionalized as an insane psychopath at age 21."

He remembered the "Cannibal Trial," as it was dubbed four years ago.  Her trial made headlines across the country, since no one had ever seen a serial killer of her gender before.  All of her victims were male when she took them home and killed them for their "sweetbreads."  Even more sickening, she published a cookbook since her incarceration.  It was expected that she would receive the death penalty for her inhuman crimes; however, the court deemed her insane and it was decided she would spend the rest of her days institutionalized in an asylum.

Apparently, Dr. Sohryu also has a cult following on the internet, much to Shinji's shock.  There were tons of sites that were devoted to her; some were sexual in nature.  She was also pretty popular among more than a few feminist circles.

Shinji stretched back in his chair in the academy's library.  He was wearing one of his old UVA T-shirts and playing around with a pencil, making notes.  The dossier that Fuyutsuki gave him was pretty complete in objective facts, but it lacked both opinions and emotion.  He wanted to understand how people saw her, and not to underestimate her again.

But Shinji found himself wondering if he would want meet her again.

His roommate suddenly bursted through the library doors.  It appeared he had run a good distance.

"Kensuke, what's the matter?" Shinji asked.  He was startled out of his thoughts.

His tired roommate took a few deep breaths and spoke his news.

"Shinji my man, there is a HOT BABE in the meeting area waiting for YOU…!" his friend said with a grin.

Every other guy in the library lifted their heads; their curiosities were aroused.

But that didn't stop there.

"Shinji you bastard!  You've been holding out a secret on me.  Who is she?"  Kensuke was shaking him.

"Be quiet you idiot" Shinji calmly whispered, as he got up to leave the quiet sanctum.

"This is a library" he added.

"But she's fuck'in hot!" Kensuke excitedly replied, as he followed his serious friend.

Shinji heaved a sigh in irritation.  He knew weapons and the opposite sex were the only things on his friend's mind.  That was Kensuke in a nutshell.  But he didn't know who was waiting for him in the meeting area.  He hardly ever got any visitors, let alone "hot" ones.

Kensuke droned on.

"Petite figure…firm breast…tight ass…" he drooled.

Shinji sighed again in irritation as he headed for the meeting area.

"…pale skin…red eyes…and blue…" Kensuke added.

Shinji stopped.  His eyes went wide and his hand went up to grip his roommate's shoulder.

"Kensuke!" Shinji hissed his friend out of his dreaming.

"What…Shinji?"

His normally quiet roommate didn't usually act like this.  Normally he was a quiet guy, and usually reserved.  But right now, Shinji was giving him a deadly stare.

Kensuke was scared.

"That…"HOT BABE" you thoroughly described…is my little SISTER."

"Oh."

Shinji's hand was still gripping Kensuke's shoulder.

*************************************************************

After Kensuke apologized to him for his passionate ranting, Shinji proceeded to the meeting area.  While along the way, he thought about Rei.  This was an unexpected surprise for him.  He rarely had the chance to see his sister because of the FBI training and other…family matters.  But he was happy to see her nonetheless.  He rarely ever had the time to feel happiness.

The meeting area was a large room near the front entrance to the academy, and had several couches and tables.  There were a few people in there, mostly chatting and having quality time together.  But he could not find Rei.

"Hello brother."

He turned around at the familiar greeting of his sister; but he found a strange sight.

"Rei, what did you do with your hair."

*************************************************************

"Rei, you should have called me ahead of time.  I could have prepared and planned more time off for lunch."

They had decided to go to the academy's cafeteria for lunch.  It was a busy time; other FBI trainees were eating there while chattering amongst themselves.

"I'm sorry Shinji, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

Shinji smiled honestly.

"That's alright.  Anyways, what are you doing down here?  Don't you have classes at Penn State?"

"It's the weekend brother.  Normally, people have time off for the weekend."

"Oh, my bad" Shinji said with a grin.

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

Shinji chuckled at his sister's simple remark.

"Still my same old sister."

"Is that an underhanded compliment, brother?

"No Rei, not at all.  However, you really have to explain that blue hair of yours."

Her hair was now a light shade of blue.  It matched well with her pale skin.  This got the attention of more than a few other trainees.

That bothered Shinji immensely.

"I wanted to be different." Rei said.

"Rei, you're an albino.  You already look different from most people."

"I wanted to be a unique albino" she retorted.

Shinji chuckled again.

They both headed towards an empty table with their food.

"So Rei, you decided to drive all the way down here to see your brother?  You never did this before." Shinji said while digging into his spaghetti.

"Actually brother, I was on my way to see father in Washington and decided to see you first."

Their table was now silent amongst the other loud tables.

"I see."  Shinji was now somber in eating his spaghetti.

"Shinji."  Rei switched to calling him by his first name.  "You really should get time off and see father with me."

"I'm helping in an investigation" he quickly replied.  "Most trainees don't get to do something like this very often."  He continued to eat his spaghetti, but at a quicker pace.

"And you know how I feel about him!" Shinji added.

"At least talk to father on the phone" Rei offered.

Shinji was now livid.

"And say what, Rei?" he snapped.  "How about 'Hey you dirty bastard! Want to go on a fuck'in father/son picnic!?!'  It's not like he's in any rush to talk to me!"

Then she slapped him.

She slapped HIM.

His generally placid and pacifist sister slapped him.

HARD!

It echoed throughout the entire cafateria.

Everyone stopped their chatter and looked at the blue-haired girl and her shocked brother, sitting at the lone table.

Rei's red eyes were now on fire.  The only other time that Rei acted this way towards her brother was right before he left their family home.

Her red eyes then calmed down from their dark fury.

"Shinji, you should not talk about our father that way; nor should you use such language" Rei calmly whispered.

She then stood up from her seat and quickly exited the cafeteria; her salad left untouched.

Everyone was now quietly staring at Shinji; his face was bright red from the slap.

He dropped his fork still entwined with spaghetti and left to go after her.

*************************************************************

_A few minutes later…_

"Don't speak Shinji."

He found her sitting in the meeting area.  She head was bowed down staring at her lap.  She wasn't crying, but Shinji could feel the pain she was giving off now.

So he made an effort not to think about their father and apologize to Rei.

"I'm sorry, Rei.  But you know how I feel about him, with good reason."

"Shinji."  She turned her head towards him.  "You hurt me when you act this way towards father."

Shinji signed.  His sister was one of his weaknesses.  She was the only family he acknowledged; so he was very protective of her.  Shinji didn't ever want to see Rei hurt.

EVER.

_So he lied._

"I'll try to speak with dad…when I have the time."

He said this with difficulty

She smiled.

He felt guilty.

*************************************************************

_Later on…___

"So Rei, when are you going to see dad?"

"After I leave here."

"I see."

Shinji was walking his sister to her car.  It was now early evening.  Shinji and Rei had catched up on old times over tea.

For awhile, Shinji felt no pain and was content.

"Shinji, can you tell me what case you are investigating?" Rei asked.

He paused a few second before answering her, not sure if he wanted her to know he was investigating into a serial killer's ambiguous puzzle; but decided it wouldn't hurt to tell.

"Yeah, I'm looking into someone connected to Dr. Sohryu."

Rei frozed.

"Black Widow Asuka."

"That's right" he confirmed.

Shinji was curious about her response.  It would take much to get a reaction out of his sister.  Apparently this bit of information scared her.

"You should be careful of her, Shinji.  She does not know herself."

She then got in her car and drove off, leaving Shinji confused.

*************************************************************

Meanwhile…at the Baltimore Forensic Hospital……

Multiple Migs was brought back to his cell after his injuries were taken care of.  Although the meds numbed the injuries Shinji gave him the other day, he bragged about his actions to the others.  Migs was insanely ranting about "scoring" against Shinji to everyone else.  But his neighbors were quiet during his rants.  Though they were extremely mentally ill, they were sane enough to know what Dr. Sohryu would do to Migs.  Unfortunately Migs lost all his sanity long ago.

He was jacking off in his cell, making all sorts of noise.  Dr. Sohryu was sketching on her butcher paper in the next cell.  Her blue eyes narrowed at the repugnant odor emanating from the adjacent cell as well as the noise that was assaulting her ears.  She made a sound of disgust at her neighbor's activity.

"So Migs, did you enjoy yourself?"

She started sketching Mig's soon-to-be dead body.

*************************************************************

_Back at the FBI academy…___

Shinji stopped by a water fountain to take a quick drink.

He thought about what his sister said to him concerning Dr. Sohryu, but it didn't make any sense to him other then to be very cautious of her.

His thoughts turned to that little girl he met when he was a boy.

He barely succeeded in shoving the memory away.

*************************************************************

"Shinji, I heard Rei slapped you in the cafeteria."

Shinji had gone back to his room to get some rest before seeing Director Fuyutsuki.  He was laying on his bed listing to a walkman and looking over Dr. Sohryu's dossier again; but the volume wasn't loud enough to block out his roommate's comment.

"Yes Kensuke, Rei did slap me."

His roommate made a slapping sound against his knee.

"Ouch, and in front of everyone."

Shinji wished Kensuke would stop mentioning the incident.

"Yes, she did" he replied with detached interest.

"Why?"

Shinji sighed noisily.

"Because my dad is a fuck'in bastard."

Kensuke chuckled.

"Oh" was all he said in reply.

Kensuke was fiddling away on his computer while talking to Shinji.

"Why do you hate your old man, Shinji?" his friend asked.

_'Why does Kensuke always have to pry into my life?' Shinji thought in frustration._

Shinji took a minute to answer.  His eyes became fixated on the ceiling.

"I use to love him.  He use to act like a real father to me.  But when my mother died…giving birth to Rei, he stopped caring about me."

Kensuke stopped typing.  He looked over at his usually docile friend.

"Shinji, I'm sorry man."

"That's all right Kensuke."

Kensuke gradually went back to typing.

"But if your dad is such a bastard, shouldn't your sister feel the same way about him?"

Shinji kept his eyes on the ceiling.

"No, he cares for her.  He actually treats Rei as his only child."

Kensuke stopped typing again.

"What!?!"

Kensuke was shocked at this revelation.

"She reminds him too much of my mother."

There was silence for a minute.  Kensuke didn't really know how to respond.

"Don't you feel jealous of her, Shinji?"

Shinji continued to look at the ceiling.

"I can't feel jealous of her…Rei reminds me too much of my mother."

*************************************************************

Somewhere else…late in the night….

A lone figure erected a large wooden cross in the woods.  Nailed to it, was a bleached young woman with a mask attached to her face.

She was still alive when it happened.

*************************************************************

TO BE CONTINUED………………….

*************************************************************

Ending Notes: Now things begin to heat up.

R&R please.

-Northridge


	4. Shocking Discovery

*************************************************************

Disclaimer:  I do not own 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' nor do I own 'Silence of the Lambs.'  They are the sole properties of Gainax Studios and Thomas Harris, respectively.  And I certainly don't make any money off this.

*************************************************************

Author's Notes:  Hope you enjoy the story.  READ and REVIEW…please.

*************************************************************

SILENCE OF THE ANGELS

By Northridge

*** Chapter Four ***

SHOCKING DISCOVERY

*************************************************************

_At the FBI academy at __Quantico__, __Virginia__…___

"So Agent Ikari, what have you found out about our mystery lady?"

Shinji Ikari was seated before FBI director Fuyutsuki's desk.  He had pulled an all-nighter to come up with this breakthrough, and was about to report it to his superior.  At the moment, Fuyutsuki was patiently sitting behind his desk waiting to hear the information.  The old man had his elbows on his desk and his chin rested on his intertwined knuckles.

Unknowingly to Fuyutsuki, it reminded Shinji of his father...

But Shinji wasn't going to let the old man's ignorance upset him.

"Well what information we have on Dr. Sohryu's patients is rather limited, mainly because she destroyed most of her medical records prior to capture.  However, I have found a possible lead."

Fuyutsuki became more interested.

"Go on."

Shinji cleared his throat.

"Before I left Dr. Sohryu, she carefully emphasized the words "look deep within yourself" to me.  I had a hunch this was a hidden clue.  With Dr. Sohryu's former medical practice being in Baltimore and my intuition, I looked in the Baltimore phone book…and found a 'Do It Yourself' storage garage.

His superior rested back against his chair.

"She always did like puzzles" Fuyutsuki said with a nod.

Shinji continued.

"I called up the manager and asked if he had a garage leased to our mystery patient.  He told me over the phone there was one, under the name 'Ms. Hester Mofet.'"

Fuyutsuki mulled over this new piece of information for a minute.

Finally…

"Agent Ikari, drive up to Baltimore and check that place out.  I want to know what this 'Mofet' has to do with Sohryu."

"Yes sir."

Shinji was excited with the prospect of continuing in the investigation.

Fuyutsuki decided this was the best time to tell him.

"Another thing, it's about the mental patient you met in Baltimore; Migs I hear he's called; I got word he's dead.  Apparently he committed suicide by cracking his head against his cell's bars."

Shinji quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

"Really?" he finally replied.

"Yes."

Shinji pondered the information for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't really feel anything about his death.  Why are you telling me about this?"

"I also heard Sohryu had a hand in his death."

Shinji was stunned.

"What?"

"Reportedly, she was whispering things to him before he decided to kill himself."

By now, Shinji was lost in thought.

_'Did she do it to amuse herself…or for me?' Shinji thought to himself._

After he punched Migs unconscious, Dr. Sohryu told him how she detested Mig's rudeness towards him.  The fact that she can talk someone into killing himself added to his fear and astonishment of the good doctor.  But what if she had talked Migs into committing suicide FOR HIM?  Like Kaji, he didn't know whether Dr. Sohryu's possible interest in him was a good thing or a bad thing; but he had a conversation to get back too…

"I see" Shinji finally replied to his superior.

"Don't worry about this detail, go about your assignment and report back to me" Fuyutsuki stated.

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed."

  
As Shinji got up to leave, Fuyutsuki decided to lighten the young man's mood a bit.

"So Shinji, I heard Rei slapped you yesterday" the old man said with a grin.

The young man cringed and smiled embarrassingly.

"Yes sir, Rei did slap me."

"And in front of everyone…"

*************************************************************

_Later that night…_

_At the 'Do It Yourself Storage' Garage in __Boston__…_

  
Rain.

RAIN.  RAIN.  RAIN.  RAIN.

Shinji HATED the rain.

It brought forth so many bad memories in Shinji's mind.

It reminded him of that little girl he met as a child.

What they did to her.

What he couldn't stop.

What he was capable of…

But he had a job to do right now.

At the moment, Shinji was standing in front of storage garage #66.  His trench coat was soaked from the heavy downpour.  The manager gave him a key and directions to this particular garage several minutes before.  The prick opted to stay in the warm and dry comforts of his office instead of helping him; however, Shinji was not deterred.

"Key in, turn, and open…"

Except it didn't open all the way.

As Shinji rolled the garage door up from the latch, it jammed a couple of feet off the wet floor.

"Damn!"  He shouted through the rain.

So Shinji did the next best thing.

He laid his back on the cement floor, and crawled under the garage door and into the darkness.

_'I mustn't run away…'_

*************************************************************

A minute later….

Music.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 filled the air.

Apparently, by opening the garage, Shinji had triggered a switch with a delayed reaction.  A cassette player began to produce the music through an old speak in one corner.

_'That's why the garage didn't open all the way' Shinji thought to himself._

But there was now the possibility of something going wrong.

So Shinji took out his flash light and unholstered his gun.  He found it somewhat strange for an FBI trainee to be issued a weapon by Fuyutsuki, but he wasn't questioning that decision right now.

At the moment, he was glad he had some form of protection.  He was not sure what a gun could do to stop an unmanned trap, but Shinji wasn't going to take any chances.

Shinji pressed his flashlight to life.

The storage garage was filled with junk from someone's life.  Moldy boxes were stacked against the walls.  A full-length mirror stood in one corner; the cassette player in the other corner.  However a large object covered by a red cloth was the centerpiece of the room.

Shinji trained his flashlight upon it and slowly inched his way towards the ambiguous object.  He removed the cloth to reveal an antique black Model-T.  It was fairly in good condition.  The peculiar thing about it were the drapes that covered the inside windows.

By now, Shinji was petrified.  He had ventured into one unknown and was about to jump into another.

Shinji had to be alert.

"I mu- mustn't run away…"

He edged over to the passenger side at the back of the old automobile and opened the door.

The whole interior of the classic was silky red.

It also revealed a seated mannequin clothed in a red and elaborate dress, but the head was missing.

Next to it on the far side of the car was a large jar with a red silk cloth.

**RED.******

_'I mustn't run away…'_

Shinji slowly reached his hand over the strange mannequin towards the covered jar.

He took hold of the cloth and removed it.

FUCK!

There was a severed head in it!

The poor bastard's thick black glasses were still on.

Shinji vomited his dinner on the cement floor.

Symphony No. 5 concluded.

He quickly ran outside into the rain.

*************************************************************

_Later that night still…_

_At the __Baltimore__State__ Forensic Hospital…___

Agent Shinji Ikari had already phoned the local authorities to the storage garage.  After giving his statement and phoning director Fuyutsuki, he drove twenty minutes to the Baltimore State Forensic Hospital to see Dr. Asuka Sohryu.

He needed answers from her.

His arrival was sudden and unexpected by Mr. Kaji who was in charge of the night staff.

Apparently, he needed to consult with Dr. Akagi before he could question Dr. Sohryu again; however, since she was at her home and there was a homicide that only Dr. Sohryu knew anything about, Mr. Kaji decided to allow him the leeway to go meet with her again.  After heading through the various security checkpoints again, he passed through that hallway of freaks to arrive at the good doctor's cell.

Strangely, none of the mental patients looked or made a sound at Shinji while he passed.  He found a new person had already taken over Mig's cell.

Then there was her cell.

Her cell was absent of any illumination.  Shinji could only discern the vague form of her body.  She was sitting up in her bunk against the wall.  Apparently, she was expecting him.

He became somewhat timid.

But Shinji knew now to keep his fear hidden.  Signs of weakness are a disadvantage when it came to her.

He took the rusty chair from the corner of the bricked hall and unfolded it to sit down.

"Good evening, Dr. Sohryu."

"Good evening to you too, but what happened?  Couldn't hold your dinner inside?"

Her figure moved slightly in the dark.

_'She still has a good sense of smell' Shinji thought._

But he wasn't going to let that get to him.

"I found your disturbing handiwork: one mannequin body and a head in a jar."

Shinji could have sworn she smiled in the darkness of her cell.  But he continued.

"Pretty clever too, giving the victim an anagram as a name.  Ms. 'Hester Mofet' or 'THE REST OF ME.'  Or in a more formally manner: 'Ms. THE REST OF ME.'  That's a clever trick on words."

He was sure now she was smiling.

"Oh Shinji, you really need to get a sense of humor."

He stiffened.  After seeing her actions now, he didn't want to get personal with Dr. Sohryu.

"I would rather you call me Ikari, Dr. Sohryu" he said solemnly.

She leaned forward in the dark.

"That's very rude.  After all I did for you, can't we be on a first-name basis?" she replied playfully.

"You made Migs kill himself."

"Exactly."

Shinji decided to get back on the topic of Mofet.

"So what was his real name, and when did you kill him?"

"If I had killed him, he would still have his body…more or less…intact."

Shinji thought about it for a moment.  He still wasn't sure if he could believe her, but he played along.

"Good point.  But who was he?"

She leaned back against the wall on her bunk, and crossed her legs.

"His name was Makoto Hyuga; a former patient of mine.  Just an average bipolar depressive…with some sex problems.  He had a hobby of collecting vintage cars.  He also liked to go through the backdoor, if you know what I mean.  His problems were very tedious, really.  I found him decapitated after he had missed several appointments.  So I stored away his body.  Did you enjoy the artwork I left for you to find, hmm?"

"A man is dead; there is no enjoyment in that."  He said coldly.

"But it's a man" Dr. Sohryu jokingly rationalized to him.  "Besides, his pancreas proved to be an excellent meal for some guest I had at one time" she added casually.

Shinji was sickened.  Dr. Sohryu noticed this and ate up his discomfort.

"Would you like a towel?  I wouldn't want you ending up sick; you're too much fun to tease."

"No thank you Dr. Sohryu."

"Suit yourself."

Shinji pressed on.

"So who killed him?"

But she didn't give him the answer.

"Why haven't you asked me about Wild Carl yet?"

"Excuse me."

Shinji didn't know where this was going.

She got up from her bunk and came into the light.  Her face was different now with more emotion, but he could not discern what kind.

Finally…

"You know exactly what I'm talking about.  The FBI is buzzing over Wild Carl.  I expect Old Kozzie to be very frustrated at this point seeing that the investigation is getting nowhere."

"I'm not assigned to that case" Shinji replied truthfully.

She looked at him intently.

"Strange, I actually thought you were."

But Shinji was curious about Dr. Sohryu's interest in the Wild Carl murders.

"Why did you mention that case Dr. Sohryu?"

She looked up in thought.

"I'm bored.  Do you have any idea what spending the last five years in this cell is like?  Yes there's Kaji to keep me company, but I other needs.  I need a new diversion and the FBI's problem with Wild Carl is the answer to this monotony."

She turned her body around and walked towards the darkness of the far wall.  Her head was still up in thought.

Dr. Sohryu continued to speak.

"But I also want a room with a view, and to be far away from that bitch Akagi.  A federal institution…where there's a view of the outside…and a chance to take a walk out in the fresh-air instead of this smelly cave."

She turned herself around to face him in the dark.

"And to help each other, all I need are the case files on Wild Carl."

She gave him her cute smile.

Shinji's mind was up in thought at all this information.  Could she really help the FBI capture Wild Carl?  There has got to be more to it than that.

"I don't see how."

Dr. Sohryu smiled.

"You have no idea how much I know."

He made a guess.

"You know who he is, don't you?  That's why you told me about Mofet; he and Wild Carl are somehow connected."

Dr. Sohryu walked forward into the light.  She was smiling.

"Good guess, you're right.  I suppose there is some intelligence in that little head of yours after all.  This is a free bit of information: Wild Carl and Makoto were lovers you see; actually, it was more of a sex-only relationship.  Makoto wanted out of the relationship, he was getting bored of his partner.  Well, our friend Carl, as you can imagine, doesn't like rejection.  I would venture to guess that Makoto was his first victim."

Shinji stood up from his seat.

"I'm not in a position to accept your help."

"Then go tell Old Kozzie about my offer, idiot."

Shinji stood there for a minute, just looking at her.  Should the FBI trust her?  Can HE trust her?  Shinji was just going to have to wait and see.

"Goodnight Dr. Sohryu."

  
Shinji turned to leave.

"Oh one last thing" Dr. Sohryu stated.

  
Shinji stopped and turned around to look at her.

"What is it?"

"Another condition on the deal is that I can call you Shinji…and you have to call me Asuka…starting right now."

Her face was emotionless now.

He still wasn't too comfortable being on a first-name basis with her.

"It isn't appropriate for us to be on a first-name basis, Dr. Sohryu."

Her face contorted into anger.

"Accept it, or the deals off from this end, SHINJI."

Her blue eyes pierced into his own dark blue eyes."

It is just a small request Shinji thought.

"Okay…Asuka"

She smiled again, but not with any wickedness he could detect.

"Better hurry Shinji, our boy Carl could be looking for his next victim.

*************************************************************

_Meanwhile…._

_On the dark road...___

  
Rei was driving back to Penn State from Washington.  Her father was okay and enjoyed seeing his daughter again.  But when Rei brought up Shinji's name, he displayed his trademark cold personality on the subject of his disowned son.

She was saddened that her father wouldn't budge on the subject of Shinji.  Rei was hoping Shinji was telling the truth when he said he was going to talk to their father.

Rei was too lost in thought…to notice the white van following her at a distance.

Wild Carl was following his next victim.

He had a smile on his face.

*************************************************************

  
TO BE CONTINUED…

*************************************************************

Ending Notes:  This chapter was tough for me.  I was trying to make up my own anagram, but I'm just not that creative.  Next chapter will be up soon.

Again, R&R please.

-Northridge

*************************************************************


	5. Bad News

*************************************************************

Disclaimer:  I do not own 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' nor do I own 'Silence of the Lambs.'  They both are the sole properties of Gainax Studios and Thomas Harris, respectively.  But I do wish I did own the rights to either one.

*************************************************************

Author's Notes:  I like to thank the people who chose to review the story thus far.  I'm trying my best to hone my literary skills.  It's not an easy task for me; so please read and REVIEW.  This chapter is different from the ones that precede it, in that there is EXPLICIT detail about a dead body, so be warned.

Enjoy the story!

*************************************************************

**SILENCE OF THE ANGELS**

By Northridge

*** Chapter Five ***

BAD NEWS

*************************************************************

_In __Quantico__, __Virginia__…___

_A road near the FBI academy…_

This was a bad night for Shinji.

He had been soaked with the rain.

Found a decapitated body.

Vomited.

And saw HER again.

He needed sleep.

After leaving his meeting with Dr. Sohryu, he arrived back at the academy; just before two in the morning.  However, Director Fuyutsuki was waiting for him at the entrance. He was expecting to hear a report on the storage garage homicide and on Shinji's second meeting with Dr. Asuka Sohryu.

Shinji's sleep would have to wait.

They both went back to Fuyutsuki's office so Shinji could fill him in on the details of his encounters.

Shinji told his superior about Dr. Sohryu's willingness to help, if her vague conditions were met.

"I see" Fuyutsuki stated at the end of Shinji's report.

The young trainee was curious about Fuyutsuki's reaction towards his report.  The old man didn't seem surprised at his mention of Dr. Sohryu's offer.  It was almost as if Fuyutsuki was anticipating it…

Shinji made a guess.  He was hoping his guess would be wrong.

  
"Sir, were you counting on this?  The questionnaire wasn't the true purpose, was it?"

  
The young trainee didn't want this to be true.  It would mean he was used as a pawn.  He didn't like being used.

"I'm sorry, Shinji" Fuyutsuki replied regretfully.  "But it was the only probable way we could get her to cooperate with us.  She ignored everyone we sent to her, but you were the exception.  Your manner of open honesty and trust struck a cord with her.  She wouldn't have turned you away; but if you had known of the plan, Sohryu would have seen right through it."

Shinji's pain was swelling up his heart.  His rage was rising to a dangerous level; but through years of practice Shinji kept it buttoned up.

"I understand, sir" he lied.

Fuyutsuki didn't believe him.

He had known Shinji since the young man was a child.

"I know you feel hurt Shinji; again, please forgive my duplicity; but time is of the essence now.  Our serial killer as you have notice has shortened the time between his murders.  So far, Wild Carl has left nine bodies for us to find.  It is our job to stop him from bleaching his next victim.

"Yes sir" Shinji said.

Fuyutsuki knew he had to let Shinji know the young trainee was doing a good job, which he was.

"Agent Ikari, you haven't screwed up yet.  You discovered a connection between Carl and the homicide at the storage garage.  You have also established a speaking relationship with Dr. Sohryu; and believe me; NO ONE has ever done that before; except for one other."

But Shinji wasn't convinced would be alright.

"With all due respect sir, I'm not too comfortable with her; and that other person you're talking about received a stab wound to the abdomen from Dr. Sohryu."

"But he's still alive."

"You sound like my father."

Silence settled in between the two.

Finally Shinji spoke up.

"I'm sorry sir.  That was disrespectful of me."

Fuyutsuki sighed.

"That's alright Shinji; you're right: my protégé almost did die…and I sounded like your father.  I'm the one who should be sorry."

They were silence again for a minute.

Then Fuyutsuki reassured him again.

"You'll do fine.  Just remember not to let her get under your skin or get personal with Dr. Sohryu.  Now go get some rest Shinji; you've had a long night."

"Yes sir."

As Shinji rose up from his seat, he decided to ask Fuyutsuki one last question.

"Sir, if I may ask…will the FBI agree to accommodate Dr. Sohryu?"

Fuyutsuki took a few seconds to answer.

"Too be honest Shinji, I'm not sure.  There's a lot of red tape to move Sohryu to a federal institution, given her notoriety; however, between you and me, the FBI hasn't found any leads on Carl.  Add the fact that the public has a poor view of us lately, we're pretty desperate.  By catching Carl now, we clean up our image a little.  Enlisting Sohryu's help is a gamble we have to take.  Now go get some rest" he added lastly with a smile.

"Yes sir.  Goodnight."

After Shinji had left, Fuyutsuki sat behind his desk for several minutes.  The FBI director was thinking how this was all going to work out.  He hadn't told Shinji the whole truth, again.

The real truth was that Fuyutsuki hadn't told HIS superiors about dealing with Sohryu.  

_'The less people know, the better' Fuyutsuki rationalized to himself._

He did not like anyone looking over his shoulder; it would only slow the investigation down.

This was a gamble indeed…

*************************************************************

_Several minutes later…_

_At Shinji's room…___

Shinji entered his room to find his roommate on the computer; he was looking intently at…explicit material.

"You known Kensuke, the instructors frown upon us using their computers for that stuff."  
  


Apparently, Kensuke was still engorged in his activities and was suddenly jolted by Shinji's rebuke.

"SHIT Shinji!  Don't you knock!?!"

The young trainee chuckled.

"You're forgetting this is my room too; and wash your hands before you touch anything else, okay."

Shinji walked over to his bed to get ready for the night.  Kensuke walked into the bathroom.

"So Shinji…" Kensuke said from the bathroom, "where have you been all night?  Do anything interesting?"

Shinji replied with a disinterested answer.

"Not much…just found someone's head, you know, the usual stuff" he casually replied, as he removed his clothes to take a shower.

After this night, he needed one.

Kensuke stuck his head out of the bathroom.

"You're not shitting me, are you Shinji?  I mean about the head?"

Shinji threw his wet cloths into a basket.

"Following up on a lead in Boston, I found a head in a jar" he stated somberly.

"Sweet, Shinji!  You know Fuyutsuki gives you all the excitement…all the fun!…except sending you to do that interview with Black Widow Asuka.  No one deserved that."

"Actually I met up with her again tonight."

"WHAT?" his roommate said, while jumping out of the bathroom.  "Shinji, tell me you haven't fallen in love with that she-demon.  You do remember what she did to her victims; her MALE victims?"

Kensuke made a cutting action with his hand, to illustrate his point.

"I haven't forgotten what she's capable of" Shinji replied, as he entered the bathroom for a shower.  "I just went to see her about the homicide.  That's all."

"Whatever you say, Shinji."  Kensuke then went to retire for the night.

While in the shower, Shinji admitted to himself that there was some truth in Kensuke's words.  Yes, she was a serial killer.  Yes, she would probably castrate and eat him if she ever got the chance.  But Shinji was feeling an unhealthy attraction to her.  Dr. Sohryu was different from the descriptions the newspapers told.  There were some instances from his meetings with her that Shinji felt Asuka was intrinsically a good person.  Shinji felt on some strange level that he had known her all of his life.  Shinji couldn't come up with a reason for his undeniable interest in the good doctor.  He could only hope his relationship with Dr. Sohryu does not grow beyond a professional one.

But she did have a pretty ass.

Shinji finished his shower and went to sleep for the night.  Fortunately, it was a dreamless sleep.  The nightmares would have to wait.

*************************************************************

_Several hours later…_

"Shinji, wake up man!"

"Go away…Kensuke" Shinji mumbled under his bed covers.

"Wake up, Shinji!  Fuyutsuki sent for you!"

"Huh?"

That last statement surprised Shinji from his sleep.  He sat up in his bed and looked at the clock.  It had not been six hours since he went to bed.  The sun had just come up.

"Kensuke, why does he want to see me at this hour?" Shinji asked, while resentfully stripping from his pajamas to get dressed.

"I don't know man, but it's urgent.  He told you to pack; it seems like you're going on a trip."

"Huh?"

*************************************************************

_An hour later…._

Shinji sat uncomfortably in the chartered plane Fuyutsuki booked.

After frantically packing, he met up with Fuyutsuki.  The old man explained the situation to him.

Another body had been found.

Wild Carl has struck again.

Shinji along with a few other agents were riding with Fuyutsuki in the plane towards rural McArthur, West Virginia.

They landed an hour later at a local airstrip.

Since the town didn't have a forensics lab the local authorities had to store the body at a funeral home.

As the FBI agents were led in the building by the local sheriff, Shinji noticed a funeral was taking place.  He stopped at the doorway to a large room.  More than three dozen people in black were crowding it.  They were all gathered to pay their respects for an elderly lady, whose time had ran out.  The grey-haired woman was lying in an open white casket.  It was strange that she was smiling; even in death.

But it brought back memories.

*************************************************************

_Flashback........._

_Shinji stood in front of it._

_His mother was lying in the open casket.  She was dressed in a simple white gown.  He felt it was his fault she was dead.  He had wanted a sibling; a brother or a sister.  Someone he could play with.  He had begged his mother for one.  He kept talking and talking about it.  Shinji was so happy when his mother told him the stork was delivering a sister to him.  His father chuckled, but acted worried nonetheless.  Shinji didn't understand this.  Sometimes, late at night, he would hear his parent arguing about his soon-to-be sister; but the young boy didn't worry about it too much.  When his sister arrives, everything would be better._

_But now, things were different.  His mother was gone._

_She had died days before; giving birth to his sister, Rei._

_Shinji looked at up at the man standing right besides him.  Uncle Fuyutsuki sadly looked down at Shinji._

_Shinji then looked towards his father.  He was dressed in total black, and was holding his newly born sister: a last reminder of his late wife._

_"There, there, Rei.  Shh, daddy's here."_

_Shinji's father broke many things when he heard his wife was gone.  He cried; something Shinji never saw him do before, and never again._

_Little Shinji walked up to his father, and tugged his pants.  He wanted to feel loved._

_His father scolded him._

_"Not now Shinji, Rei needs to sleep."_

_It was Shinji's fault._

_End Flashback........_

*************************************************************

_Back to the Present..........___

"Agent Ikari, come on.  We have a body to autopsy."

Fuyutsuki talked him out of his memories.  Shinji was taken by surprise.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Fuyutsuki could guess what the funeral reminded Shinji of; but they had a job to do now.

"Let's go Agent Ikari."

They both preceded the rest of the way to the morgue section.

*************************************************************

_A minute later…_

The funeral home didn't have a state-of-the-art morgue for storing bodies.  It was simply a room, with a large freezer, a table, a few chairs, and a metal slab.

The FBI agents were setting things up for the autopsy.  

On the metal slab was the body.  For the moment it was zipped inside a black plastic bag.

One agent was setting up his camera for forensic photo evidence.  Another was passing around heavily scented lotion for the nostrils; this was to mask the stench of a dead body.  The other agents went about their own tasks.

Fuyutsuki was putting on his rubber gloves and was preparing his tape recorder to autopsy the body.

Shinji was an observant spectator in all this.  This would be the first time for him to see a murder victim.  He had studied cadavers before, but those were different situations.  This situation involved real tragedy.

  
"Everyone ready?" Fuyutsuki asked.

Everyone confirmed.  Fuyutsuki unzipped the body bag and a stench filled the air.

"Holy Mother of God!" Shinji whispered to himself.

"There's nothing holy about this, Shinji" Fuyutsuki quietly whispered.

The bag revealed a young woman around his sister's age.  Her eyes and mouth were dead open and lifeless.  Shinji briefly turned away in embarrassment at the nakedness of the dead woman; but he had to be a professional and turned his gaze back onto the lifeless form of the deceased.

Fuyutsuki began his recording of his examination.

{{{Subject is a woman of Asian descent…approximately 17 to 20 years of age…the subject's skin has been heavily bleached, along with her hair…there are signs of malnourishment and extreme lack of body fat…there are bruises and cuts all over the body along with a few fractured ribs…there is a deep stab wound in the subjects lower stomach and nail marks into the wrists; theses are signs consistent with the _stigmata…there are also signs of ligature marks on the wrist and ankles...there is also evidence of vaginal penetration…}}}_

One of the other agents began checking for semen residue.

Another agent began taking autopsy photos.

Fuyutsuki then looked over a report by the local authorities along with some photos.  There was a Polaroid picture of the poor woman crucified in the daylight.  The red cross was supported up in the air by being tied between two trees.

{{{Local report shows that the subject was found by locals hunting deer…she was found crucified naked in the woods…gagged… based on this, the subject was alive when her skin was bleached…a purple mask was strapped to her head…it depicted seven eyes in two columns…positioned over an inverted triangle…}}}

Fuyutsuki looked over the dead body for several more minutes, taking notes.

{{{Cause of death: asphyxiation due to crucifixion with loss of a large amount of blood from the stomach wound.  Time of death: two days ago at night.  End recording.}}}

Shinji was shaken by the sight of the body, and everything about it.  That bastard Carl kidnapped an innocent young woman and had his way with her.  He was sick enough to crucify her alive and force her to die a slow death.

This was definitely different from his other victims.

One of the agents suddenly received a call from his cell phone.  He listened for several moments and then reported the news.

There was now a name to match to the victim.

"They found a match on the dental X-rays the locals sent in earlier.  The subject's name is Ms. Hikari Horaki, age 18.  Her listed address was Boston" the FBI agent reported.

But there was more information.

"Ms. Horaki was reported missing…two years ago."

This was disturbing information for all of them.

"This means that either she ran away from home and got picked up by Carl…or she's been his prisoner all this time!" Shinji gasped.

"That would probably explain the malnourishment and lack of body fat" Fuyutsuki quietly stated.

Shinji was getting sick.

"Have you checked over the cross and mask yet, Agent Smith?" Fuyutsuki asked one of the agents.

Agent Smith was a large middle-age man, with graying hair.  He was a 19-year veteran of the FBI and one of their most skilled experts.

"Yes sir.  Carl seems to know his way with wood (no pun intended).  The red cross measures 10'5 feet, and is homemade with excellent quality; the purple mask is carved with the same amount of care.  There is an interesting note about both items; there are scripture passages from the Bible carved into the sides of the cross and mask; all in English."

Fuyutsuki was lost in thought.

"We can confirm he's a religious fanatic.  All his other victims so far have been placed in cemeteries and churches.  But this crucifixion thing is new, so he's getting more out of control.  We could possible study his handwriting from those carvings.  Anything else on the items?" the FBI director asked.

"Yeah, a sign had been nailed to the top of the cross; it's in Latin though."

"Let me see the photo of it."

Fuyutsuki thanked his high school Latin classes to decipher the sign.

"It says 'God is in His heaven.  All is right with His world.' "

He wasn't too sure on his translation, but that was the gist of it.

"An ironic statement to be sure.  The guy's a _bona fide nut." Smith remarked._

"Actually, I think that's another passage from the Bible."

Indeed, Carl was getting wilder, Fuyutsuki thought.  He turned towards his young charge.  The young trainee had been silent up until a while ago.  Shinji looked pale though.

"What are your thoughts Agent Ikari?" Fuyutsuki asked.

Shinji looked up from the dead body.  He took several seconds to process his information.

"Well, he would need a large vehicle…for the cross, probably a truck or a van.  This is a rural area, not an urban city, so his vehicle would have stood out.  Unless he was physically strong, he would probably have needed help with erecting the cross.  She would have resisted being crucified; so she must have been unconscious or drugged when it hap-"

Fuyutsuki's cell phone interrupted Shinji's analysis.

"Just a minute Agent Ikari" Fuyutsuki said while taking it out of his coat pocket.

"This is Fuyutsuki…hey Al, what is it?…yes he's with me…what's the emergency…what?…who?…SHIT!"

Fuyutsuki turned his cell phone off abruptly.  Every other agent, including Shinji, was stunned by the director's behavior; it takes much for him to loose his cool.

The old man turned his head towards Shinji.

There was now urgency in his demeanor.

"Shinji, come with me.  Something terrible has happened."

*************************************************************

_Two minutes later…_

"Sit down Shinji."

They both sat down on a wooden bench in front of the funeral home.  By now, the funeral that had taken place earlier had ended and the ones that attended had already left.

"What is it sir?"

Shinji did not like where this was going.  He knew his superior was about to give him bad news.  This had to do with the phone call Fuyutsuki received earlier.  The old man eyes showed extreme emotion, but his body and manner was calm.

"A few hours ago, your sister's car was found in a ditch along I-79."

"…"

  
Shinji held his breath hoping against what he thought had occurred.

"There were signs of a struggle and some blood.  We think Carl has kidnapped Rei."

"…"

Shinji's whole world was crumbling down in his mind.  His sister...  His only REAL family left…  His dear sister has been taken away from him.  He felt sadness…grief...and anger!

But he had to remain calm.

"Are you sure it's him?  Are you sure it's Carl?" he reluctantly asked.

He was in denial.

Shinji's mind was trying to reason that Rei simply had car troubles and left it to get mechanical help.

But that wasn't the case.

"They found her blouse cut diagonally at the site.  That's his trademark."

Shinji clenched and unclenched his right hand.  He was trembling and stood up.  He was now looking at the porch floor.  He felt choked by his tie, and quickly loosened it.

Shinji didn't want to believe this was true.

"No.  This can't be happening" he whispered unevenly.

"I'm sorry Shinji.  I know how dear she is to you."

"But I saw her just three days ago, she was going to see…father.  This is all my fault!  If I had gone with her like she asked maybe she would have gone back at a different time!  Carl would not have seen her!  She would have been safe!"

Shinji was blaming himself.

"Shinji, there was nothing you could have done about it.  You couldn't have known."

"I'm her brother!  I'm suppose to protect her!  I can't even do that now!"

By now, Shinji was shaking uncontrollably.

"But we are already forming leads to track Carl.  We will find her."

"And hope he doesn't crucify her first!?!"

Fuyutsuki paused.

"Shinji, you know he doesn't kill them right away.  She still has a good chance of being alive right now."

That wasn't really good news to Shinji's ears; but he felt hope now.

"I hope so" Shinji whispered.

"They told me your father has been notified of the kidnapping."

Shinji felt okay with that since his father loved Rei as much as he did.  That was the only good thing Shinji felt about the bastard; however, Fuyutsuki was thinking of something else; it concerned the competence of his young charge at the moment.

"I'm sorry I have to order this Shinji, but you have to get off this investigation."  
  


Shinji looked at his superior in disbelief.  
  


"WHAT?  NO!"

"Shinji, you are too close to the situation.  You won't be able to make rational decisions, I know you."

But Shinji was determined.

"Sir you can't take me off the case, because you need me!"

"Shinji-"

But the stubborn trainee had cut him off.

"Asuka will only talk to me, and she's the only one who can lead us to Carl, you know that!  You are counting on that!"

Fuyutsuki just sat there; impressed by his young charge's emotions, and disturbed when Shinji called the good doctor 'Asuka.'

Shinji was now breaking up into tears.

"And besides…besides…if I don't try everything I can do to…save Rei…I might as well have killed her" he sobbed.

The old man saw both determination and pain in Shinji's eyes.  He could not turn him away.

"Come on, Agent Ikari.  We have a job to finish."

*************************************************************

TO BE CONTINUED…..

*************************************************************

Ending Notes:  That was my longest chapter to date.  My description of the autopsy routine isn't exactly realistic.  I'm not really sure how the FBI operates.  But it's fiction, so just allow for a few things to be true.  I made up the name of McArthur, West Virginia.  I have no idea if there is an I-79 or where it's located.  Chapter six will be uploaded soon.

Hoped you enjoyed the story.

R&R

-Northridge


	6. Sharing Secrets

*****************************************************************

**Disclaimer**:  I do not own 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' nor do I own 'Silence of the Lambs.'  They are the sole properties of Gainax Studios and Thomas Harris respectively.

*****************************************************************

**NOTES**:  Sorry I took so long in bringing out this chapter.  I have been extremely busy lately…actually...no…not really.  I had this chapter ready for a while now.  I just didn't uploaded it.  It's a bad habit I have.  Sorry!

Remember to **review.**

*****************************************************************

**SILENCE OF THE ANGELS**

By Northridge

*** **Chapter Six *****

**SHARING SECRETS**

*************************************************************

Mrs. Tillsbury was a frail ninety-year old woman.

And very senile…

With her wizen-white hair and red-only wardrobe, she certainly would stand out in a crowd.

She was a lady often described by the few people that know her as an 'oddball hag,' mainly because of all the rabbits she keeps as pets.

Her house is filled with them.  From upstairs to her basement the rabbits made her home their own.  Mrs. Tillsbury co-opted one of the rooms in her home to storing rabbit food which piled to the ceiling.  Water bowls are placed in every room.  Naturally, the rabbits created a sanitation problem for Mrs. Tillsbury, though fortunately her sense of sight and smell are lacking at her age.

The maintenance of her home would be a lot easier if she wasn't confined to a wheelchair.

For a while now Mrs. Tillsbury hadn't been able to properly care for herself.  She had become a recluse from society.  The last time she had read a newspaper or watched television was the day her husband passed away; fortunately, her next door neighbor comes by every so often bringing groceries and to help her around the home...and to clean the rabbit shit.

At the moment, Kawrou Nagisa gave his elderly neighbor a friendly smile before speaking.

"That's KAWROU, Mrs. Tillsbury.  K-A-W-R-O-U.  Kawrou.  That is how you say my name."

Mrs. Tillsbury rebuked him before he could get back to cleaning the floor.

"Don't lecture me like I'm a child!  I'm not senile yet Kowro!"

Kawrou gestured his hand towards his older neighbor to calm her down.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Tillsbury, I meant no offense" he replied with his continuous smile.

Kawrou continued to clean her house, while she sat in her wheelchair in the living room, knitting yet another red sweater.  He made sure to avoid bumping the mop into the numerous rabbits that scurried along his path.  This was a weekly ritual he has done for the past year.  He dedicates an entire day to tend to his neighbor, her house, and her rabbits.  From mopping the floor to refilling the water bowls, Kawrou didn't miss a spot.  But he noticed this time the the infants rabbits were beginning to outnumber the grown ones.

"Mrs. Tillsbury...maybe you should neuter and spay your pets" Kawrou suggested to her as he continued cleaning.  She stopped her knitting.

"Kowro, I told you once, and I'll tell you again, NO!  It is unnatural!" she said pointedly.

"Alright, Mrs. Tillsbury" Kawrou replied as he stopped mopping to pick up another dead rabbit and dropped it into a trashbag.  

The number of dead rabbits was also increasing.

"How's your girlfriend?  What was her name?  Hee-car-ee?"  Mrs. Tillsbury asked as she continued knitting.

Kawrou replied casually to her question.

"**Hikari.  Hikari's her name.  I'm sorry to say we broke up.  The relationship didn't work out as I had hoped" Kawrou replied softly.**

"I'm sorry to hear that Kowro!  But don't worry, a good boy like you will find another one in no time!" she declared enthusiastically.

Kawrou stopped his work to give her another smile.

"You're right, Mrs. Tillsbury!  I've met another woman recently.  Things have been going smoothly thus far."

"Oh, tell me her name!"  Her excitement made her drop the knitting sticks to the wooden floor.

"Mrs. Tillsbury…" Kawrou began as he went over to her to pick them off the ground."

"Tell me!"

Kawrou sighed in surrender.

**"**Her name is** Rei."**

*************************************************************

_At the __Baltimore__State_ Forensic Hospital…____

"You really don't understand the opportunity we have here, Agent Ikari."

Agent Shinji Ikari was once again meeting with Dr. Ritsuko Akagi in her office.  An ashtray full of cigarette buds adorned the corner of her desk.  The middle-aged woman was lobbying him with lucrative proposal.

"Dr. Akagi, I'm sorry; but my conference with Sohryu must remain private.  It's the _only_ way she will cooperate with the FBI."

  
However, Dr. Akagi wasn't backing down.

"But think of the knowledge that can be gained here!  No criminal psychologist has ever gotten her to share her thoughts.  If you can probe Sohryu with certain questions I have here, _I_ can finally figure out an accurate psychological profile of her!"

_'Yeah, so you can make a name yourself…'_ Shinji thought.

"And imagine what the public would pay for this!"  Dr. Akagi added.

Shinji stated his denial to her request.

"Dr. Akagi, you as well as I know that Sohryu isn't easily duped.  I'm sorry, but the FBI will not take that risk.  This is an important investigation and I must see her right away."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"That bitch is still my patient Agent Ikari."

"And this is a federal matter Dr. Akagi.  Any attempt to block access to Dr. Sohryu will be seen as obstruction of justice" Shinji shot back.

Dr. Akagi leaned back into her chair to consider her options.  After a moment, she gave her consent.

"Mr. Rouji will take you to her."

*************************************************************

_Dr. Sohryu's cell…_

She was drying her hair.

Apparently, she had taken a shower recently.

At the moment, Dr. Asuka Sohryu was sitting on her bunk bed with her back against the far wall of her cell.  She had her long legs crossed and stretched out on the bunk.  Asuka's feet were bare with the slippers placed neatly on the floor next to her cot.  Her blue prison jumpsuit was unbuttoned enough to reveal a white T-shirt underneath.

To Shinji, her firm breasts were much more revealing this way.  Normally Shinji would have blushed from embarrassment, but the welfare of his sister was dominant over the rest of his thoughts.

He remembered his "deal" with Dr. Sohryu the night before: a first-name basis, of which he still wasn't comfortable.  Shinji stepped up to the glass barrier to address her informally.

"Good afternoon…Asuka."

His greeting was wooden and she stopped drying her hair in noticement.

Dr. Sohryu darted an eye out from underneath the towel.  She looked him over and continued drying her hair.

There was silence between the two of them for awhile.  Shinji fidgeted slightly with his folders in his hand and quietly sighed in impatient annoyance.

Finally…

"Looks like you haven't shaved today" she remarked casually.

She removed the now damp towel from her head to reveal that her fiery red hair had been cut down to shoulder length.  Shinji momentarily forgot about the situation about his sister to take in this new image of the good doctor.  Even though her hair was still moist, Shinji thought the 'wet look' suited her.

  
"What do you think, Shinji?  Do I look nice?" Dr. Sohryu asked with a smile.

"It's nice" he replied.

She gave him a sour look.

"Typical."

She threw the towel over onto the table at the far wall and proceeded to comb her hair with a metal brush.

Shinji was surprised that she had such an item in her possession.  Dr. Sohryu stopped brushing her hair when she noticed his puzzled expression.

"Oh don't worry, Shinji.  I couldn't kill you with this even if I wanted to; there's a glass wall between us" she reassured him.

"I was under the impression that you weren't allowed to have such items."

Dr. Sohryu continued to brush her hair.

"Well true…but you see…this brush is on loan from Kaji.  I have to trade it back to him before I can get my dinner; and then I have to trade the dinner utensils and plate back to him or else he comes in and shoots me with a tranq-dart.  It's all '_quid pro quo' between him and me" Dr. Sohryu explained with a wink._

"I see."

Shinji didn't know what else to say to her.  He fidgeted slightly again.  Dr. Sohryu noticed this and smiled with amusement.

"If you need to sit down, go right ahead."

"Thank you."

Shinji took the chair from the wall and unfolded it to sit down.  He noticed Dr. Sohryu was looking at him while brushing her hair.  Shinji felt her eyes piercing into his soul while he sat there.

He opted on more small talk.

"When did you get the haircut…Asuka."

She sighed with irritation.

"Earlier today.  You can't imagine the trouble I had to go through to get it.  I like Kaji and all, but he makes a terrible stylist.  And the mask got in the way."

_'Mask?'_ Shinji thought.

"It looks like he did a good job" Shinji replied.

Dr. Sohryu gave him a look while still brushing her hair.

"You men don't know anything about haircare."

"Sorry."

She gave Shinji an amused look.

"Such a boring man…"

Shinji didn't respond to her comment.

Dr. Sohryu stopped brushing her hair for a second to study Shinji more closely, and then continued on with her hair care.

"So…why did you come here again; to look at my tits?" she asked casually.  She jutted her chest out to bounce her breast.

Shinji ignored her comment and display to speak his message.

"I'm sure the news has reached you by now" he stated cautiously.  He wasn't sure what her response would be.

She smiled with quiet humor.

Then…

"I'm afraid not" Dr. Sohryu replied with passive anger.

"What?"

Shinji was confused.  He noticed from before that she always kept herself informed and entertained with reading material.  Then he realized that the books and newspapers from her table were gone.

"Bitchy Akagi has been depriving me of my news.  For some reason, she puts the blame on me for Migs cracking his skull open!  Can you believe that?  I mean, all I did was offer words of encouragement."

She chuckled while undoing a knot of wet hair.

Shinji remained silent for a moment, he was being careful of how he was going to respond to her depraved indifference.

"I'm afraid you do share some blame in his death" he replied bluntly.

She gave Shinji a hurt look.

"I had to do something!  Your honor was at stake.  Unless you wanted him to smear some more man-juice on your face?"

"That's not the point" Shinji started.

"Whatever…so…what news are you talking about?"

She was still brushing her hair.

Shinji prepared himself.

"Another body has been found…"

Dr. Sohryu sensed he had something else to add.

"Yesss…" she slurred with expectancy.

Shinji closed his eyes and responded.

"…and it appears that Carl has taken another woman yesterday…late at night."

She stopped her activity, and gracefully placed the metal comb on her bed.

"Ahh" Dr. Sohryu purred softly.

He opened his eyes.

Shinji cringed with slight anger at Dr. Sohryu's response of his sister's abduction.

"So…what's her name?"

Shinji now had her complete undivided attention.

"…" He was silent.

"The one that's still…alive" she clarified with another playful smile.  She made sure to leave the last word in doubt.

"…"

"Well…Shinjiii…?" she trailed off.

"…"

Finally…

"Rei Rokubungi."

She continued to observe him.

"Anything special about her?" Dr. Sohryu asked bluntly.

_'Yeah, she's my sister'_ Shinji thought grimly.

"By your hesitation, I think there _is_ something special about her."

"She's the daughter of Gendo Rokubungi."

A half-truth, but still a lie of omission.

"…"  Now it was her turn for silence.

  
Shinji went on.

"He's the CEO of-"

"I know who he is," Asuka responded to cut him off, "I was just speechless.  This will certainly get interesting, don't you think?"

**Did she suspect?**

Director Fuyutsuki ordered him not to disclose his sibling relationship with Rei to Dr. Sohryu.  He warned that she would only use this against him.

**_"She feeds off other people's pain."_**were his exact words.

Shinji calmly stared back at her.

Dr. Sohryu looked at him for several seconds and then positioned her body to lay down on the bunk bed.  She laced her fingers together and rested her head on top of them.

Shinji was again insulted by her relaxed manner in response to his news; but he continued on.

"I think you can understand why I'm here then…Asuka."

He still felt uneasy about the situation.

Dr. Sohryu's eyes were staring at her cell's ceiling.  She then spoke in a cheerful tone.  Her response was like one leisurely pondering a puzzle.

"You'll get use to calling me Asuka; and yes, I do know why you're here.  You've come to present me my deal…though I'm curious, shouldn't someone more important than a TRAINEE be sent to me for this type of thing?  Delivering a questionnaire is the job of a lackey…like you, but this sort of thing is fit only for someone higher up…like Old Kozzie."

Shinji explained his scripted response to her in an insulted manner:

"You've given Director Fuyutsuki the impression that you'll only talk to me; I'm sorry…I'm talk to my superior about sending someone 'more important' to deliver your deal."

He got up to leave.  Fuyutsuki told him to do this in order to show Dr. Sohryu he meant business.

"Idiot, I'm just playing with you!"

She hadn't taken her eyes off the ceiling, nor had she got up to face him.

Shinji stopped in his tracks and replied in a stressed tone.

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel that it's the time to play when a psychopath has a young woman in his grasp!"

He meant every word.

Dr. Sohryu sat up slowing.  She then proceeded to the glass barrier to face him up close.

She didn't bother to put on her slippers.

  
Her eyes were in a menacing manner and her hair was still damp with moisture.

Her tone was  s l o w  and soft, but threatening.

**"There's always the time to play and you will play Shinji."**

He matched her manner and stared back.  This was his sister dammit!

The other "residents" were making nervous movements in the silence.

Finally…

She laughed.

Not maniacal laughing; it was more like one amused with a small child's antics.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!  Oh Sh**iii**nj**iii, you are so fuuun to play with!"**

She slurred his name with obvious enjoyment.

Shinji didn't respond.

  
Dr. Sohryu crossed her arms and spoke:

"So where's my deal?"

"Here's your deal" Shinji replied as he dropped a folder into the metal tray and slammed it to Dr. Sohryu's side.

"You could be nicer about it."

"Sorry" he replied without value.

Shinji went back to the chair to sit down and waited for her to finish glancing over the folder's contents.

"Wow…I get to upgrade to a suite at the Pennsylvania State Women's Penitentiary…and a private cell…with a window!…good…heh?…nothing else?"

Dr. Sohryu looked up from the agreement to stare at Shinji with dissappointment.

"Sorry, but what did you expect Asuka?"

"Something better."

"That's the best we're willing to offer…and the only one that's feasible, sorry; and the deal's only good if we get Ms. Rokubungi back…**alive**."

"I don't know about this…" Dr. Sohryu mulled.

"There's not much else I can do, Asuka."

She stopped her mulling as if coming up with an idea.

"Ah, but there is something else you can do…Shinji!"

Shinji didn't like where this was going.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's add an addendum to the proposition: '_quid pro quo_.'"

Shinji really didn't like where this was going, but he listened on hesitantly.

"Yes…?"

"I get to ask things about you…personal things…"

Shinji was surprised with her proposition.

He voiced his reaction.

"What possible value could you find in knowing my personal life?" he asked skeptically.

Dr. Sohryu just shrugged.

"Because I'm bored."

"That's your reason?" Shinji asked.

She winked.

"That's the only answer you'll get."

Shinji didn't like the idea at all; but he was still considering it.  His privacy was a small price to pay if it meant that Rei would be saved!

"What if I do answer your questions?  What do I get in return?"

Dr. Sohryu went back to sit on her bunk.

"Along with my interest..." Dr. Sohryu began as she started undoing more buttons on her jumpsuit.

"...I'll give you tidbits about our friend Carl…"

That wasn't nearly enough for Shinji.

"Why not a name?"

"His name's Carl" Dr. Sohryu answered simply.

He was getting tired of her games.

"His real name" Shinji clarified sharply.

  
She shook her head slowly with exaggeration.

"Sorry, Shinji, the game doesn't work that way; because there's no fun in simply giving a name.  You have to find it **yourself…with my help of course."**

Shinji was beginning to get angry.

"How do I know what you'll reveal will be the truth?"

Dr. Sohryu began to weave her arms out of the long sleaves of the jumpsuit.

"It's part of the fun, Shinji, you don't know."

"This deal isn't fair you know."

"That's one of the things I like about you, Shinji; you're a terrible negotiator."

"…"

"What's your answer, Shinji?" she asked with a grin.

Dr. Sohryu leaned back against the wall after adjusting her clothing.  Only her white T-shirt covered the upper portion of her body.  Her lower half was still in the jumpsuit.

"Better hurry.  Little Rei's cooter might be poked by the time you answer."

Shinji gave his answer.

"Sign the agreement and I'll answer your questions."

*************************************************************

_Elsewhere…_

"Well that should do it Mrs. Tillsbury!" Kawrou said, giving her a small peck on her wrinkled cheek.

"Don't be late next time."

"I won't Mrs. Tillsbury.  Good Night."

With that, Kawrou Nagisa walk out the front door, he was careful to not let any of the rabbits out.  It was a short walking distance to his house 'next' door.  The air was crisp cold and Kawrou bundled his red sweater closer to his thin frame.

"The moon is really beautiful tonight" Kawrou said to himself.  He began humming 'Ode to Joy' as he walked along the worn trail.  At that moment, the moonlight revealed a stray rabbit in his path.  Kawrou stopped humming his favorite tune to give it a smile before speaking to it.

"Hello there!  You must have snucked out this morning.  That's very naughty" Kawrou scolded the rabbit as he kneeled down to scoop it up into his arms.

He gave the rabbit a pat on the head before snapping it's neck.

*************************************************************

TO BE CONTINUED……

*************************************************************


End file.
